Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-06-26
"pIKEY.s



self Cesario Bartolommeo del Moroni,
As he writes himself now and then--
the "Moroni" of London, Paris, and
New York,
He is great man now. Kings,
Princes, and potentates celebrities, ma
tive end foreign actors, Cabinet Mn
listers, and pretty women, are getting
themselves photographed in his smart
studios every day of the week but
when / first knew him lie was but
iourneyman at an lslington artists, and
spelled his name with "y," as did
the Irish Kings, his foxefathers, before
him.
We met ut Dsisycliffe, where we had
the hotel to ourselves. 1t was long
past the end Of the season. We drifted
into companionship dined together in
the coffee room each evening, and
smoked our morning pipes pacing the
spray-swept. single Strewn parade in
dual solitude.
al like the place." Moroni said.
"rve reason 10. My irst professional
success was achieved here, in that very
spot" and be stopped to contemplate a
piece of waste ground which board io-
dicated rs the site Of " Daisycliffe Man
sions West"
"There was row OF fishermen's
huts hereabout." he went on. 1.-The
hotel was built, hut shut up. bankrupt
Five shops in the High street. Two
trains to London day-fare one pound
c;n.taoD third class
"But what ever brought you here ?"
i interrupted.
"vanity, sir vanity, and impotence
of servitude, and desire to be my own
master. / bad good situation in Lon
don, but did not pull well with the
principal and wanted to start for my
self. Also, was abomisably taken in
by my vife's brother-a plausible,
lovable, mendscious young scamp.
He had a business down here.
however he came by it, and
he actually persuaded me to take
II of his hands in lieu of some
nsney which should have come to Tere-
sita on her fathers death. 1t was too
far for previous inquiries. He showed
us his sccouats-pure works of fiction
every line Of them-snd photographs
OF the place, almost as delusive-one
of the Parade crowded with we'll
dressed promenaders-that was taken
on q Sunday-the whole population
come home from church this way one
OF the big hotel-csrriages standing
outside, walters on the steps, company at
the windows-thatw was done the day the
directors held their vinding-up meet
ing there-the only visitors it had
seen for six months views of Bel
minister, the cathedral town, with It's
great northern race meetings-only
distant half an hour by train that never
stopped at Daisycliffe in those days
CGfe Castle, the seat of Lord Sandbar.
adjoining the town. Well, you shall
hear what that came to presently. We
looked at the pictures, believed IN his
descriptions, closed the bargain, and
walked into Daisyclifle one lovely eve
ming in early autumn, Teresita carry
ing the bambInO and | wheeling all our
worldly goods on truck from the sta
ton.
1.-The studio looked promising. II
was cottage enlarged, with plenty OF
plate-claSs and black and gold decora-
ton about it. Ii looked on the Parade,
and the Parade looked-much as it
does now. Invent MP and down pros
pecting. A knot of fishermen lounging
round a carstan at one end; at the
other q Young lady immersed in study
The hotel was shattered up. All the
weedy little row of lodging
houses had blinds down and dingy
bills stuck in every window. | went
up to the town. 4 few out-at-elbows-
looking tradesfolk loungingidly at their
doors eyed me as I passed with un-
friendly curiositv-all except the land
lord of the Blue Lion public. who
was friendly and invited me to comeup
that evening 70 q social gathering III
the taproom. | pOcketed my pride and
a dozen elegant gold-lettered cards OF
terms for distribution, and went.
"such a low-spirited, hopeless lot
met there
"All the talk was Of bad debts, long
credit. shortness and pOorness OF the
seasons business, and the iniquities of
the railway company, which seemed to
hive laid itself out to ruin the unlucky
l. tie town.
u mentioned Castle Clife by way of
turning the conversation. and asked if
Lord Sandbar did nothing for the
place? 'Sandbar? Oh, Lord Do
ANYTHING for the place? Sandbar?
You may well say Sandbar. All just
so. Sandbar-Sandbar
Not very full of explanatory, bit
as pregnant with dark meaning as II 1t
had been a chorus Of virtuous villagers
IN An opera expounding the iniqmties
of the wicked baron. Not that Lord
Sandbar was wicked. On the contrary,
he was the result Of careful bringing up
bv his mother anil his step-father-a
popular preacher. His sins, if any,
were purely of omission. He kept
house like nOblemsn and made the
castle custom worth having? Not he
Visitors from London and shooting
parties ? Sundav-schOOl teachers and
missionaries ont for holiday-that
was about his sort. Does he hunt
No. Yacht? No. Entertlin or do
ANYTHING like a gentleman? Not a
bit of IT. What does he do for
Daisycliffe ? Can't say, unless its
to Shut up all the footpaths round
the castle and stop the Forest
ers' iete being held in the park.
is he married? No, nor likely. Won't
let woman come near him, married
or single. It's as much as the house
keepers place is worth to let one set
foot in the castle. They do say as he
goes about with loaded pistol in his
pocket. and would let fly as soon as
look at her if he caught one crossing
the park-and so on for half an hour.
That was my first experience OF DAISY
clifIe."
81 don't seem to see where the pro-
fessional success comes in" l said.
81 didn't, / can tell you took
five shillings in the first week, one and !
sixpence in the second. The third we
were left to ourselves. The fishermen
at last gave up the joke of hustling one
another in with the request to me 70
Take him handsome for his young
woman Even the small-boy popula-
ton got tired OF us and left our win
dow unsmeared by inquisitive noses.
Then j tramped over 10 Belminster to
see If could raise enough on some of
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